DePuy ASR Found to Have Same Problems as Pinnacle Hip Implant

The DePuy ASR was approved as a substantially equivalent design to the DePuy Pinnacle hip, which appears to be causing the same or worse problems as the ASR. Last year, the FDA’s MedWatch adverse event reporting system registered at least 548 complaints about DePuy Pinnacle problems, with many reports indicating that the implants failed years before they were supposed to or caused symptoms that may be consistent with metal poisoning. These reports likely constitute only a small portion of the total number of issues from DePuy Pinnacle hips, which should have been identified by the manufacturer and led to a DePuy Pinnacle hip recall.

The complaint was filed earlier this month in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana against DePuy Orthopedics, Inc. and its parent company, Johnson & Johnson. Plaintiffs included in the lawsuit are Mark Santorelli and his wife, Frances, of Louisiana; Susan Hunter and her husband, Russell, of Texas; Lisa Chadek, of Washington; Jim Burgar, of Colorado; and Kevin Watts and his wife, Angela, of Virginia. Each plaintiff alleges that that they suffered injuries and problems from a DePuy Pinnacle hip replacement, including elevated levels of cobalt in the blood, permanent disability, severe and prolonged pain, and other complications. These complaints have been consolidated in the Northern district of Texas as an MDL. According to allegations raised in the complaint, design defects with the DePuy Pinnacle metal-on-metal hip implant cause an increased risk of microscopic metal particles being shed as the metal parts rub against each other. This may increase the risk of DePuy metallosis, biologic toxicity and lead to a high failure rate.

Over the past year, concerns about metal-on-metal hip replacements have been growing. In October, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) issued a warning about potential problems with metal on-metal hip replacements, indicating that patients and the medical community should be aware that pain months after hip replacement surgery may be a sign of metal-on-metal hip cobalt toxicity. In addition, the FDA launched a new website last month to provide information about the risks associated with metal-on-metal hip replacements. Despite these findings, no DePuy hip recall has been issued as of yet. Those suffering from the adverse effects of DePuy hip failure are advised to contact an experienced DePuy hip lawyer.